Pin sharing for photonic processors

ABSTRACT

Aspects relate to a photonic processing system, an integrated circuit, and a method of operating an integrated circuit to control components to modulate optical signals. A photonic processing system, comprising: a photonic integrated circuit comprising: a first electrically-controllable photonic component electrically coupling an input pin to a first output pin; and a second electrically-controllable photonic component electrically coupling the input pin to a second output pin.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/961,975, titled “PIN SHARINGFOR PHOTONICS PROCESSORS,” filed on Jan. 16, 2020, under Attorney DocketNo. L0858.70020US00, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein inits entirety.

BACKGROUND

Conventional computation uses processors that include circuits andmillions of transistors to implement logical gates on bits ofinformation represented by electrical signals. The architectures ofconventional central processing units (CPUs) are designed for generalpurpose computing but are not optimized for particular types ofalgorithms. Graphics processing, artificial intelligence, neuralnetworks, and deep learning are a few examples of the types ofalgorithms that are computationally intensive and are not efficientlyperformed using a CPU. Consequently, specialized processors have beendeveloped with architectures better-suited for particular algorithms.Graphical processing units (GPUs), for example, have a highly parallelarchitecture that makes them more efficient than CPUs for performingimage processing and graphical manipulations. After their developmentfor graphics processing, GPUs were also found to be more efficient thanCPUs for other memory-intensive algorithms, such as neural networks anddeep learning. This realization, and the increasing popularity ofartificial intelligence and deep learning, lead to further research intonew electrical circuit architectures that could further enhance thespeed of these algorithms.

SUMMARY

Some embodiments are directed to a photonic processing system,comprising: a photonic integrated circuit comprising: a firstelectrically-controllable photonic component electrically coupling aninput pin to a first output pin; and a second electrically-controllablephotonic component electrically coupling the input pin to a secondoutput pin.

In some embodiments, the photonic processing system further comprises anelectronic integrated circuit comprising: a driver electrically coupledto the input pin; a first switch electrically coupled to the firstoutput pin; and a second switch electrically coupled to the secondoutput pin.

In some embodiments, the driver comprises a digital-to-analog converter(DAC).

In some embodiments, the first switch and the second switch areelectrically coupled to a common reference voltage terminal.

In some embodiments, the reference voltage terminal is further coupledto the driver.

In some embodiments, the electronic integrated circuit and the photonicintegrated circuit are vertically stacked.

In some embodiments, the electronic integrated circuit and the photonicintegrated circuit are disposed on a common substrate.

In some embodiments, the electronic integrated circuit and the photonicintegrated circuit are disposed on an interposer.

In some embodiments, the input pin is a first input pin and the photonicintegrated circuit further comprises a plurality of input pins and aplurality of output pins, wherein the plurality of output pins comprisesthe first output pin and the second output pin and the plurality ofinput pins comprises the first input pin.

In some embodiments, the photonic integrated circuit further comprises athird electrically controllable photonic component electrically couplinga second input pin of the plurality of input pins to the first outputpin.

In some embodiments, the photonic integrated circuit further comprises afourth electrically-controllable photonic component electricallycoupling the second input pin to the second output pin.

In some embodiments, the plurality of input pins comprises between 8 and1024 input pins, and wherein the plurality of output pins comprisesbetween 8 and 1024 output pins.

In some embodiments, the photonic integrated circuit comprises between64 and 140,000 photonic components.

In some embodiments, the first electrically-controllable photoniccomponent comprises an optical modulator.

In some embodiments, the optical modulator comprises a Mach-Zehnderinterferometer.

In some embodiments, the optical modulator comprises a ring modulator.

Some embodiments are directed to a photonic processing system,comprising: a photonic integrated circuit comprising: a first input pinand a first output pin; and a first electrically-controllable photoniccomponent electrically coupling the first input pin to the first outputpin; and an electronic integrated circuit comprising: a first driverelectrically coupled to the first input pin; and a first switchelectrically coupled to the first output pin.

In some embodiments, the photonic integrated circuit further comprises asecond output pin and a second electrically-controllable photoniccomponent electrically coupling the first input pin to the second outputpin, and wherein the electronic integrated circuit further comprises asecond switch electrically coupled to the second output pin.

In some embodiments, the photonic integrated circuit further comprises asecond input pin and a third electrically-controllable photoniccomponent electrically coupling the second input pin to the first outputpin, and wherein the electronic integrated circuit further comprises asecond driver electrically coupled to the second input pin.

In some embodiments, the photonic integrated circuit further comprises afourth electrically-controllable photonic component electricallycoupling the second input pin to the second output pin.

In some embodiments, the first driver comprises a digital-to-analogconverter (DAC).

In some embodiments, the photonic integrated circuit comprises a siliconphotonics integrated circuit.

In some embodiments, the photonic integrated circuit comprises between 8and 1024 input pins, and between 8 and 1024 output pins.

In some embodiments, the photonic integrated circuit comprises between64 and 140,000 photonic components.

In some embodiments, the first electrically-controllable photoniccomponent comprises an optical modulator.

In some embodiments, the electronic integrated circuit and the photonicintegrated circuit are vertically stacked.

In some embodiments, the electronic integrated circuit and the photonicintegrated circuit are disposed on a common substrate.

In some embodiments the electronic integrated circuit and the photonicintegrated circuit are disposed on an interposer.

Some embodiments are directed to a method of manufacturing a photonicchip, comprising: forming an integrated circuit comprising: forming afirst electrically-controllable photonic component electrically couplinga first input pin to a first output pin; and forming a secondelectrically-controllable photonic component electrically coupling theinput pin to a second output pin.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises forming a thirdelectrically-controllable photonic component electrically coupling asecond input pin to the first output pin.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises forming a fourthelectrically-controllable photonic component electrically coupling thesecond input pin to the second output pin.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises forming between 8 and1024 input pins and forming between 8 and 1024 output pins.

Some embodiments are directed to a method of operating a photonicprocessing system comprising a photonic integrated circuit and anelectronic integrated circuit, the method comprising: modulating a firstoptical signal using a first electrically-controllable photoniccomponent disposed on the photonic integrated circuit, the firstelectrically-controllable photonic component being coupled to both afirst input pin of the photonic integrated circuit and a first outputpin of the photonic integrated circuit, wherein the modulatingcomprises: forming a first electrically conductive path between thefirst output pin of the photonic integrated circuit and a referencevoltage terminal by closing a first switch disposed on the electronicintegrated circuit; and producing a first analog signal using a firstdriver disposed on the electronic integrated circuit and coupling thefirst analog signal to the first input pin of the photonic integratedcircuit.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises: modulating a secondoptical signal using a second electrically-controllable photoniccomponent disposed on the photonic integrated circuit, the secondelectrically-controllable photonic component being coupled to both thefirst input pin of the photonic integrated circuit and a second outputpin of the photonic integrated circuit, wherein the modulatingcomprises: subsequent to closing the first switch and further subsequentto re-opening the first switch, forming a second electrically conductivepath between the second output pin of the photonic integrated circuitand the reference voltage terminal by closing a second switch disposedon the electronic integrated circuit; and producing a second analogsignal using the first driver and coupling the second analog signal tothe first input pin of the photonic integrated circuit.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises: modulating a thirdoptical signal using a third electrically-controllable photoniccomponent disposed on the photonic integrated circuit, the thirdelectrically-controllable photonic component being coupled to both asecond input pin of the photonic integrated circuit and the first outputpin of the photonic integrated circuit, wherein the modulatingcomprises: subsequent to closing the first switch and further subsequentto re-opening the first switch, re-forming the first electricallyconductive path between the first output pin of the photonic integratedcircuit and the reference voltage terminal by closing the first switch;and producing a third analog signal using a second driver disposed onthe electronic integrated circuit and coupling the third analog signalto the second input pin of the photonic integrated circuit.

Some embodiments are directed to an electronic device, comprising: anintegrated circuit comprising: a plurality of electrical input pinsdisposed at an electrical input/output interface of the integratedcircuit; a plurality of electrical output pins disposed at theelectrical input/output interface of the integrated circuit; a first rowline coupled to a first output pin of the plurality of output pins and asecond row line coupled to a second output pin of the plurality ofoutput pins; a first column line coupled to a first input pin of theplurality of input pins and a second column line coupled to a secondinput pin of the plurality of input pins; a first impedance componentelectrically coupling the first row line to the first column line; asecond impedance component electrically coupling the first row line tothe second column line; a third impedance component electricallycoupling the second row line to the first column line; a fourthimpedance component electrically coupling the second row line to thesecond column line.

In some embodiments, the first impedance component comprises a capacitorelectrically coupling the first row line to the first column line.

In some embodiments, the first impedance component comprises an inductorelectrically coupling the first row line to the first column line.

In some embodiments, the first impedance component comprises a resistorelectrically coupling the first row line to the first column line.

In some embodiments, the electrical input/output interface is disposedon a top surface and/or a bottom surface of the integrated circuit.

In some embodiments, the electrical input/output interface is disposedon a perimeter of the integrated circuit.

Some embodiments are directed to a method of manufacturing a photonicprocessing system, comprising: obtaining a photonic integrated circuitcomprising: a first electrically-controllable photonic componentelectrically coupling an input pin to a first output pin; and a secondelectrically-controllable photonic component electrically coupling theinput pin to a second output pin; obtaining an electronic integratedcircuit comprising: a driver; a first switch; and a second switch; andpackaging the photonic integrated circuit with the electronic integratedcircuit, the packaging comprising: forming an electrical connectionbetween the driver and the input pin; forming an electrical connectionbetween the first switch and the first output pin; and forming anelectrical connection between the second switch and the second outputpin.

In some embodiments, the photonic integrated circuit comprises between 8and 1024 input pins, and between 8 and 1024 output pins.

In some embodiments, the packaging comprises vertically stacking thephotonic integrated circuit and the electronic integrated circuit.

In some embodiments, the packaging comprises disposing the photonicintegrated circuit and the electronic integrated circuit on a commonsubstrate.

Some embodiments are directed to a photonic processing chip, comprising:at least X*Y electrically-controllable photonic components arranged in Xrow lines and Y column lines; and between X+Y and 2(X+Y) pins.

In some embodiments, X is greater than or equal to Y.

In some embodiments, X is less than Y.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In thedrawings, each identical or nearly identical component that isillustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. Forpurposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in everydrawing. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an integrated circuit for controlling aphotonic device.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a photonic processing system, inaccordance with some non-limiting embodiments.

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of an integrated circuit for controllinga photonic device, in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments.

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram of another integrated circuit forcontrolling a photonic device, in accordance with some non-limitingembodiments.

FIG. 3C is a flowchart of a method for operating a photonic processingsystem, in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an electrically-controllable ringmodulator for modulating optical signals, in accordance with somenon-limiting embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an electrically-controllableMach-Zehnder interferometer for modulating optical signals, inaccordance with some non-limiting embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of another electrically controllableMach-Zehnder interferometer for modulating optical signals, inaccordance with some non-limiting embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional side view of a photonic package, inaccordance with some non-limiting embodiments.

FIG. 8A is a cross sectional side view of another photonic package, inaccordance with some non-limiting embodiments.

FIG. 8B is a perspective view of the photonic package of FIG. 8A, inaccordance with some non-limiting embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional side view of yet another photonic package,in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments.

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional side view of yet another photonic package,in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION I. Overview

Photonic processors represent a promising solution to overcome the poorbandwidth and high-power consumption that characterize conventionaldigital central processing units (CPUs). As such, photonic processorsare expected to replace conventional CPUs in a variety ofcomputationally intensive applications, such as in deep learning.Despite an ever-increasing trajectory in the development of photonicprocessors, the inventors have recognized and appreciated a significantbottleneck that limits the usability of photonic processors: the maximumnumber of pins that interface a photonic processor with other electronicsystems is far less than the number of photonic components thatconstitute the photonic processor. This is because the space availableto accommodate pins (typically on or near the perimeter of the chip, ornear the top and/or bottom surface of the chip) is significantly smallerthan the space available for the photonic components. Oftentimes, thesize of the pin (hundreds of microns) can be orders of magnitude largerthan the size of each photonic device (smaller than 10 microns). Theinventors have developed photonic processors that overcome the pin countbottleneck.

Photonic processors are analog circuits that perform complex operationsusing or on optical signals. Some photonic processors, for example, useoptical signals to perform mathematical operations, such asmatrix-matrix multiplications. To process optical signals to produce thedesired output, photonic processors use electrically-controllablephotonic components. Examples of such photonic components includeoptical intensity modulators, optical phase modulators, and opticalswitches, among others. Electronic controllers are used to control theoperations of these photonic components. Consider for example a photonicprocessor configured to multiply an input vector by a weight matrix. Anelectronic controller is used to program multiple photonic components torepresent, in the optical domain, scalar weights. Thus, photonicprocessors are often provided in combination with electroniccontrollers.

The inventors have appreciated that providing a system in which aphotonic processor communicates with an electronic controller presents achallenge. Most semiconductor foundries do not allow for co-fabricationof transistors and photonic components on a single chip. Transistors arefabricated using fabrication nodes that are substantially smaller thanthe fabrication nodes typically required for photonic components.Processes that use smaller fabrication nodes, of course, aresignificantly more costly than processes that use larger fabricationnodes because the former require more sophisticated photolithographytools. Therefore, it is not economical to dedicate expensive real estateon a chip fabricated using small fabrication nodes to photoniccomponents, the operation of which is agnostic to the fabrication node.This means that these semiconductor foundries do not permitco-fabrication on the same chip of photonic processors with thetransistors that constitute the electronic controller. Therefore,designers of photonic computing systems are relegated to place aphotonic processor on a first chip and an electronic controller on aseparate chip, and to allow for communication between the chips usingexternal interconnects (e.g., bond wires, ball grid arrays, copperpillars, through-silicon vias, etc.). Pins are used to interface theexternal interconnects to the photonic components inside the photonicprocessor chip. Unfortunately, the number of pins that can beaccommodated for a single die is limited by the footprint of the die andthe pin size. Many modern processors have between 1000 and 5000 pins.However, as the number of pins increases beyond 20,000, the packagingyield decreases significantly and, as a result, manufacturing costsbecome prohibitive. At the same time, modern computing tasks requiremany mathematical operations to be computed at the same time, thusbenefiting from having more computing components available for executingmathematical operations on a photonic processor. For example, a photonicprocessor may require as many as 65,536 photonic components to handlematrix-matrix multiplications over matrices with 256×256 elements. Eachphotonic component requires a control signal, meaning that the photonicprocessors may require as many as 65,536 pins to individually controleach photonic component. It may not be economical, under commercialmanufacturing techniques, to accommodate the number of pins required toindividually control the 65,536 photonic components onto a single chipwithout vastly increasing the size of the chip or by distributing the65,536 photonic components over several chips. As such, the number ofphotonic components may be limited to the number of pins that can beaccommodated by the chip, thus creating a significant bottleneck.

Recognizing the pin count bottleneck described above, the inventors havedeveloped architectures that allow for arbitrarily large numbers ofphotonic components to be individually controlled without requiring anequal number of pins. For a photonic processor with 65,536 photoniccomponents, individual control of the photonic components can berealized using only 512 pins, in accordance with technologies describedherein. For example, 256 input pins and 256 output pins may be used tocontrol the 65,536 photonic components by using shared input and sharedoutput pins on the photonic chip in combination with drivers coupled tothe shared input pins and switches coupling the shared output pins. Thedrivers and switches, being made of transistors, are located on theelectronic chip. In some embodiments, the 65,536 photonic components arearranged on the photonic chip in 256 columns electrically coupled toinput pins and 256 rows electrically coupled to respective output pins,such that each component is electrically coupled to a single sharedinput pin and a single shared output pin. The drivers transmit controlsignals for a first photonic component to a first shared input pin. Theswitches may close to couple a respective shared output pin to areference voltage terminal, thereby providing a continuous electric pathfrom the driver to the reference voltage terminal that passes through aphotonic component. To prevent all of the photonic components fromreceiving every signal received by the first input pin, in someembodiments, only the switches corresponding to photonic componentsintended to receive respective signals are closed when the signal isreceived, and the remaining switches are left open. By time cyclingthrough the switches, each component may individually receive signals,at different times, from the same shared input pin.

Accordingly, some embodiments are directed to a photonic processingsystem, comprising: a photonic integrated circuit comprising: a firstelectrically-controllable photonic component electrically coupling aninput pin to a first output pin; and a second electrically-controllablephotonic component electrically coupling the input pin to a secondoutput pin. Further, some embodiments are directed to a photonicprocessing system, comprising: a photonic integrated circuit comprising:a first input pin and a first output pin; and a firstelectrically-controllable photonic component electrically coupling thefirst input pin to the first output pin; and an electronic integratedcircuit comprising: a first driver electrically coupled to the firstinput pin; and a first switch electrically coupled to the first outputpin.

It should be noted that the pin sharing techniques described herein maybe used in connection with integrated circuits other than photonicprocessors. In some embodiments, for example, impedance elements (e.g.,resistors, capacitors and/or inductors) may be used in lieu of photoniccomponents.

II. Circuits and Methods for Controlling Photonics Processors

As described above, some semiconductor foundries generally do not permitco-integration of transistors and photonic components. As such, photonicchips require a dedicated pin for each electrically-controllablephotonic component that is to be independently controlled.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, nine input pins and nine digital-to-analogconverters (DACs) must be included in a system to control nineelectrically-controllable photonic components.

FIG. 1 illustrates an integrated circuit for controlling a photonicprocessor. Photonic processing system 100 includes photonic integratedcircuit 102, digital-to-analog converters (DACs) 141, 142, 143, 144,145, 146, 147, 148 and 149, and reference voltage terminal 151. Photonicintegrated circuit 102 includes a plurality of nelectrically-controllable photonic components. For the sake ofsimplicity, only n=9 electrically-controllable photonic components (111,112, 113, 121, 122, 123, 131, 132, 133) are shown in the integratedcircuit of FIG. 1. Examples of electrically-controllable photoniccomponents include optical phase modulators, optical intensitymodulators, optical switches, and optical couplers characterized bycontrollable coupling ratios, among others. An electrically-controllablecomponent is designed so that, when a control signal is applied to it,an optical characteristic varies, thereby producing a change in anoptical signal that passes through it. As one example, a photoniccomponent may include a pn-junction phase modulator. When a voltage isapplied between the p-terminal and the n-terminal, carriers are eitherinjected to or extracted from the depletion region, which produce alocal change in the material's refractive index. Under these conditions,an optical signal that passes through the photonic component undergoes aphase shift. As another example, a photonic component may include aresistive phase modulator. When a voltage is applied across theresistive modulator, a current flows through it which produces a spot oflocalized temperature increase. The temperature increase, in turn,produces a local change in the material's refractive index. Again, anoptical signal that passes through the photonic component undergoes aphase shift.

Pins of the types described herein are positioned at the interfacebetween a photonic integrated circuit and the devices outside thephotonic integrated circuit. As a result, the pins are accessible fromany electronic apparatus located outside the photonic integratedcircuit. For example, pins may be disposed at the perimeter of the chipor at the top and/or bottom surface of the chip. When the pin is notconnected to any electronic apparatus outside the chip, the pin is anelectrically floating terminal. Examples of pins include conductiveconnectors, conductive pads (which may be exposed to air so that a bondwire or other connector may be attached to it), a socket, an adapter, avia (e.g., through silicon via or through oxide via) a conductive bump,a conductive ball, a conductive pillar, a solder, etc.

In photonic processing system 100, each electrically-controllablephotonic component is electrically coupled to a respective input pin,from which the electrically-controllable photonic component receives anelectrical input signal (e.g., a modulation signal). In other words,there is a dedicated input pin for each photonic component. For example,component 111 is electrically coupled to input pin 161, component 121 iselectrically coupled to input pin 162, and component 131 is electricallycoupled to input pin 163. Similarly, components 112, 122, 132, 113, 123,and 133 are electrically coupled to respective input pins 164, 165, 166,167, 168, and 169. In total, to control the nineelectrically-controllable photonic components, integrated circuit 102requires nine input pins.

The electrically-controllable photonic components receive signals fromrespective DACs through the input pins. For example, DAC 141 iselectrically coupled to input pin 161 so that it can transmit a controlsignal (e.g., a control voltage or a control current) to component 111,for example to modulate an optical input signal passing throughcomponent 111. Similarly, DAC 142 is electrically coupled to input pin162 and DAC 143 is electrically coupled to input pin 163. DACs 144, 145,146, 147, 148, and 149 are coupled to respective input pins 164, 165,166, 167, 168, and 169.

The arrangement of FIG. 1 involves a dedicated pin and a dedicatedelectronic control circuit (a DAC in this case) for each photoniccomponent. If a photonic integrated circuit arranged in this manner isused in a photonic processing system, the number ofelectrically-controllable photonic components that may be individuallycontrolled by the system may be severely limited by the number of inputpins which can be accommodated by the photonic processor.

FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary components of a photonic processing system,in accordance with some embodiments described herein. In theillustrative example of FIG. 2, photonic processing system 200 includesoptical encoder 201, photonic processor 203, optical receiver 205, I/Ointerface 210, and controller 207. In some embodiments, photonicprocessing system 200 is configured to perform matrix-matrixmultiplications in the optical domain. It should be appreciated thatsystem 200 is illustrative and that a photonic processing system mayhave one or more additional components in addition to or instead of thecomponents illustrated in FIG. 2.

In the illustrated embodiment, the controller 207 includes a memory 209and a processor 211 for controlling the optical encoder 201, photonicprocessor 203, and optical receiver 205 through I/O interface 210. Thememory 209 may be used to store input and output bit strings andmeasurement results from the optical receiver 205. The memory alsostores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor 211,control the photonic processing system to perform mathematicaloperations. For example, controller 207 may control the optical encoder201, may control the electronically-controllable photonic components ofthe photonic processor 203, and may control the optical receivers 205.

I/O interface 210 may include electrical channel sets 212, 214, and 216.Each channel set includes a plurality of electrical channels. Channelset 212 enables communication between controller 207 and the opticalencoder 201, channel set 214 enables communication between controller207 and photonic processor 203, and channel set 216 enablescommunication between controller 207 and optical receiver 205. Eachchannel of a set carries an electrical signal. For example, each channelof set 214 carries a signal generated by a DAC for controlling theoperation of a corresponding electrically-controllable photoniccomponent of photonic processor 203. Using the architecture of FIG. 1,there are as many channels as part of set 214 as there are photoniccomponents in the photonic processor. Additionally, photonic processor203 has as many pins as photonic components. However, some photonicprocessors may include hundreds of thousands of photonic components, andcontrolling these components using the architecture of FIG. 1 may not bepractical.

As described above, the inventors have recognized and appreciated thathaving multiple electrically-controllable photonic components coupled toa common input pin, and using switches to select specificelectrically-controllable photonic components to receive electronicsignals from the common input pin, may reduce the overall number of pinsrequired to control a given number of electrically-controllable photoniccomponents. As a result, a greater number of electrically-controllablephotonic components may be included with a photonic integrated circuitwithout also having to increase the number of pins, thereby increasingthe number of mathematical operations that can be performed in parallel.

The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3A significantly reduces the numberof pins required to control the electrically-controllable photoniccomponents. FIG. 3A illustrates a photonic processing system 300, inaccordance with some embodiments. Photonic processing system 300includes photonic processor 302 and electronic controller 304. Photonicprocessor 302 and electronic controller 304 are formed on separate dies.Photonic processor 302 may be implemented in silicon photonics or usingany other suitable semiconductor material. Photonic processor 302includes electrical lines (e.g., conductive traces) disposed in columnsand rows. In this example, photonic processor 302 includes row lines315, 325 and 335, and column lines 361, 362 and 363. Of course, not allembodiments are limited to three column lines and three row lines. Otherembodiments may include, for example, between 8 and 1024 row lines andbetween 8 and 1024 column lines. Other ranges are also possible. Itshould be appreciated that the row and column lines need not be disposedphysically orthogonal to one another, that two row lines need not bedisposed physically parallel to one another and that two column linesalso need not be disposed physically parallel to one another. Thedenominations “row” and “column” are used solely for purposes ofillustration.

The end of each column line is coupled to an input pin. Column line 361is coupled to input pin 371, column line 362 is coupled to input pin 372and column line 363 is coupled to input pin 373. Similarly, the end ofeach row line is coupled to an output pin. Row line 315 is coupled tooutput pin 316, row line 325 is coupled to output pin 326 and row line335 is coupled to output pin 336. Similar to the pins of FIG. 1, theinput and output pins of FIG. 3A are positioned at the interface betweenphotonic processor 302 and the devices outside the photonic processor.As a result, the pins are accessible from any electronic apparatuslocated outside the photonic processor, such as electronic controller304 in this case. The input and output pins may be disposed at theperimeter of the photonic processor chip or at the top and/or bottomsurface of the photonic processor chip. The output and input pins may beimplemented using the example pins described in connection with FIG. 1.In some embodiments, some or all the input pins are disposed at a commonedge of the perimeter of the photonic processor chip. In someembodiments, some or all the output pins are disposed at a common edge(e.g., the same common edge as the input pins or another common edge) ofthe perimeter of the photonic processor chip.

Photonic processor 302 includes nine electrically-controllable photoniccomponents. The electronic components of FIG. 3A may havecharacteristics similar to the photonic components of FIG. 1. Photoniccomponent 311 is coupled to both column line 361 and row line 315.Photonic component 312 is coupled to both column line 362 and row line315. Photonic component 313 is coupled to both column line 363 and rowline 315. Photonic component 321 is coupled to both column line 361 androw line 325. Photonic component 322 is coupled to both column line 362and row line 325. Photonic component 323 is coupled to both column line363 and row line 325. Photonic component 331 is coupled to both columnline 361 and row line 335. Photonic component 332 is coupled to bothcolumn line 362 and row line 335. Photonic component 333 is coupled toboth column line 363 and row line 335. In some embodiments, photonicprocessor 302 may include between 64 and 550,000 photonic components, ormore.

Although the number of photonic components of FIG. 3A is the same as thenumber of photonic components of FIG. 1, the number of pins of FIG. 3Ais substantially lower than the number of pins of FIG. 1. In theseexamples, the architecture of FIG. 1 includes nine pins whereas thearchitecture of FIG. 3A includes six pins. More generally, thearchitecture of FIG. 3A includes X+Y pins, where X is the number ofcolumn lines and Y is the number of row lines. By contrast, thearchitecture of FIG. 1 includes X*Y pins. For large values of X and Y,the difference in pin counts can be quite significant.

In some embodiments the number of common input pins may be equal to thenumber of common output pins. In other embodiments the number of commoninput pins may be larger than the number of common output pins. In yetother embodiments, the number of common output pins may be larger thanthe number of common input pins.

Electronic controller 304 includes DACs 341, 342 and 343, switches 314,324 and 334 and voltage reference terminal 351. It should be appreciatedthat the DACs are only one example of driver, and that other drivers maybe used in addition to, or instead of, the DACs, including for examplesignal amplifiers, power amplifiers, modulator drivers and buffers. EachDAC is connected to an input pin. As a result, each DAC controls acorresponding set of photonic components. For example, DAC 341 controlsphotonic components 311, 321 and 331. Similarly, each switch isconnected to an output pin. Each switch is coupled to a set of photoniccomponents. For example, switch 314 is coupled to photonic components311, 312 and 313.

The architecture of FIG. 3A, in addition to reducing the number of pinsrequired to control the electrically-controllable photonic components,reduces the number of DACs (or other drivers) required to control theelectrically-controllable photonic components. In some embodimentsincluding n electrically-controllable photonic components, where n=X×Y,the number of drivers used to control n electrically-controllablephotonic components is reduced from n to just X.

A switch is said to be “closed” when it permits passage of an electriccurrent and is said to be “open” when it blocks the current (other thannegligible currents such as leakage currents). When closed, a switchcouples the respective common output pin to the reference voltageterminal 351. Therefore, when a switch is closed, a continuousconductive path that passes through a photonic component is formed froma DAC to the reference voltage terminal. For example, when switch 314 isclosed, a continuous conductive path that passes through photoniccomponent 311 is formed from DAC 341 to voltage reference terminal 351.As a result, closing the switch associated with a particular row lineenables the DACs to control the photonic components of that row line. Bycontrast, opening the switch associated with a particular row linedisables the DACs from controlling the photonic components of that rowline.

In some embodiments, a switch may be a simple transistor such as asingle bipolar junction transistors (BJT) or field effect transistors(FET). Additionally, or alternatively, a switch may include a pluralityof transistors, including BJTs, FETs, or a combination of BJTs and FETs,as aspects of the technology described herein are not limited in thisrespect.

In some embodiments, the states of the switches may be controlled by anexternal processor, such as processor 211 of controller 207 in FIG. 2.In other embodiments, the states of the switches may be controlled by anadditional external processor (not shown). In yet other embodiments,switches may be configured to automatically close and open based on aclock cycle associated with the system.

The illustrated embodiment of FIG. 3A separates electronic componentsthat include transistors onto the electronic chip and photoniccomponents onto the photonic chip. However, the inventors haverecognized and appreciated that even if the electronic components andthe photonic components are included on the same chip, an integratedcircuit that reduces the number of electronic components may provide fora larger number of photonic components on the chip. FIG. 3B illustratesan embodiment where common conductive input traces and common conductiveoutput traces are used to individually control theelectrically-controllable photonic components of a common chip 306. Theinventors have recognized and appreciated that shared signal traces mayincrease the number of electrically-controllable photonic componentsthat can be controlled at once by reducing the number of traces orelectronic components required to individually control theelectrically-controllable photonic components.

FIG. 3C is a flowchart illustrating a method for operating a photonicprocessing system including a photonic integrated circuit and anelectronic integrated circuit, in accordance with some embodiments.Method 380 may be implemented using the architectures of FIG. 3A or 3B,or using any other suitable architecture.

Method 380 begins at act 381, where an electrically conductive pathbetween an output pin of a photonic integrated circuit and a referencevoltage terminal is formed by closing a switch. In some embodiments, theswitch may close in response to receiving a signal from an externalprocessor. For example, referring to the examples of FIGS. 2 and 3A,processor 211 of controller 207 may send signals for controlling thestate of switch 314.

Additionally, or alternatively, the switch may close according to atiming circuit. For example, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 3A, atiming circuit (not shown) may cause switches to sequentially open andclose. Switch 314 may close first according to a first signal receivedfrom a timing circuit and may open in response to a second signalreceived from the timing circuit. Next, switch 324 may open in responseto a third signal arriving after the second signal. In otherembodiments, the second signal, while causing the first switch to open314, may additionally cause the second switch 324 to close.

Additionally, or alternatively, a first switch may close in response tothe opening of a second switch. For example, in the illustratedembodiment of FIG. 3A, switch 324 may close in response to switch 314opening.

Next, method 380 proceeds to act 382, where an analog signal is producedusing a driver coupled to an input pin of the photonic integratedcircuit. For example, in some embodiments, the driver includes a DACthat outputs a signal configured to modulate an optical signal passingthrough an electrically-controllable photonic component.

Next, method 380 proceeds to act 383, where the switch is re-opened. Insome embodiments, the switch re-opening may be in response to anotherswitch being closed. In other embodiments, the re-opening of the switchmay happen automatically after a specified duration of the switch beingclosed.

In some embodiments, method 380 is characterized by a switch frequencywhere the switch frequency corresponds to the number of times anelectrically-controllable photonic component receives a signal from adriver for a given time interval. The electrically-controllable photoniccomponents may retain their state even when coupled to an open switchvia thermal mass or local capacitance, in some embodiments. For example,the retention of the electrically-controllable photonic components maybe characterized by a droop time constant. The droop time constant isindicative of a change in the effective dielectric constant associatedwith the electrically-controllable photonic component. For example, insome embodiments, the droop time constant may be indicative of thedischarge rate of a capacitor. In other embodiments, the droop timeconstant may be indicative of the heat dissipation time.

In some embodiments, the switch frequency may be proportional to theinverse of the droop time constant of the electrically-controllablephotonic component, such that the electrically-controllable photoniccomponent receives one modulation signal within a time intervalcorresponding to the droop time constant. Additionally, oralternatively, the switch frequency may be larger than the inverse ofthe droop time constant, such that the electrically-controllablephotonic component receives two or more modulation signals within a timeinterval corresponding to the droop time constant.

In some embodiments, some of the electrically-controllable photoniccomponents receive at least one modulation signal within a time intervalcorresponding to the droop time constant. For example, allelectrically-controllable photonic components may receive at least onemodulation signal within a time interval corresponding to the droop timeconstant. Additionally, or alternatively, a subset of the total numberof electrically-controllable photonic components may receive at leastone modulation signal within a time interval corresponding to the drooptime while other electrically-controllable photonic components mayreceive fewer than one modulation signal within a time intervalcorresponding to the droop time.

Additionally, or alternatively, a first set of photonic components maybe characterized by a first droop time constant, while a second set ofcomponents may be characterized by a second droop time constant. In someembodiments the switch frequency may account for the differences betweenthe droop time constants. For example, if the first droop time constantis shorter than the second time droop time constant, where a shorterdroop time constant corresponds to a faster decay of a state of theelectrically-controllable photonic component, the switch frequencycorresponding to components characterized by the first droop timeconstant may be faster than the switch frequency associated withcomponents characterized by the second droop time constant.

As another example, the switches may be operated non-sequentially. Forexample, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 3A, switch 314 may closeand re-open first, followed by switch 334 closing and re-opening,followed again by switch 314 closing and re-opening, and finallyfollowed by switch 324 closing and re-opening. In some embodiments, eachswitch may be closed and re-opened once before switches are closed asecond time. In other embodiments, a single switch may close and re-openmultiple times before a second switch is closed for a first time. In yetother embodiments, two switches may close at the same time so the samesignal can be received by two components simultaneously.

III. Examples of Photonic Components

In some embodiments the photonic components described above includeoptical modulators. A modulator receives coherent light (e.g., laserpulses or laser continuous wave light) and modulates it according to anelectrical modulating signal. As described above, the electricalmodulating signal may be produced by a DAC. Someelectrically-controllable photonic components include intensitymodulators, some electrically-controllable photonic components includephase modulators, and some electrically-controllable photonic componentsinclude both intensity and phase modulators. Modulation of the intensityand/or phase may involve modulating the effective refractive index ofthe electrically-controllable photonic component.

In some embodiments, impedance components may modulate signal using aresistive, capacitive, or inductive component by modulating an effectiverefractive index of the photonic component. For example, in someembodiments, electrically-controllable photonic components may includeelectro-optical modulators, ring or disk modulators, or other types ofresonant modulators, electro-absorption modulators, Franz-Keldyshmodulators, Mach-Zehnder modulators, acousto-optical modulators,Stark-effect modulators, magneto-optical modulators, thermo-opticalmodulators, liquid crystal modulators, quantum-confinement opticalmodulators, and photonic crystal modulators, among other possible typesof modulators, as aspects of the technology described herein are notlimited in this respect.

Electrically-controllable photonic components may include ringmodulators, in some embodiments. For example, FIG. 4 illustrates anelectrically-controllable ring modulator 400. The ring modulator 400includes an optical ring resonator 402 optically coupled to waveguide420. Waveguide 420 receives input optical signals ψ_(in) and outputsmodulated optical signals ψ_(out). Optical ring resonator 402 includesimpedance component 410 (e.g., an optical phase shifter). Impedancecomponent 410 includes electrical input 412 and electrical output 414.In some embodiments, electrical input 412 is coupled to an input pin ofthe photonic integrated circuit and electrical output 414 is coupled toan output pin of the photonic integrated circuit. Impedance component410 is configured to modulate input optical signal ψ_(in) response toreceiving an electrical signal to produce a modulated output signalψout.

Additionally, or alternatively, electrically-controllable photoniccomponents include Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZI), in someembodiments. For example, FIG. 5 illustrates an electricallycontrollable MZI modulator 500. The MZI modulator includes a firstinterferometer arm 502 and a second interferometer arm 504. The firstinterferometer arm receives an input optical signal ψ_(in) and producesa modulated output signal ψ_(out). In some embodiments, an impedancecomponent 510 (e.g., an optical phase shifter) is coupled to the firstarm 502 for modulating the optical signal that transmits through thefirst arm. Impedance component 510 includes electrical input 512 andelectrical output 514. In some embodiments, electrical input 512 iscoupled to an input pin of the photonic integrated circuit andelectrical output 514 is coupled to an output pin of the photonicintegrated circuit.

In other embodiments, electrically-controllable photonic components mayinclude a plurality of impedance components. For example, FIG. 6illustrates an electrically controllable MZI 600, which is similar tothe MZI of FIG. 5. Relative to the MZI of FIG. 5, the MZI of FIG. 6further includes second impedance component 520, which may be configuredto modulate the phase of ψ_(out). In some embodiments, electrical input522 is coupled to an input pin of the photonic integrated circuit andelectrical output 524 is coupled to an output pin of the photonicintegrated circuit.

IV. Examples of Packages

As described above, some semiconductor foundries do not permitco-integration of transistors and photonic components on the same chip.As a result, the drivers and switches may be located on an electronicchip as components of an electronic integrated circuit, and the photoniccomponents may be located on a photonic chip as components of a photonicintegrated circuit. The photonic integrated circuit is electricallycoupled to the electronic integrated circuit through externalinterconnects. As described below, input and output pins are configuredto interface the external interconnects to the photonic componentsinside the photonic processor chip.

In some embodiments, the electrical coupling between the photonicintegrated circuit and the electronic integrated circuit includes aninterposer (e.g., a silicon interposer or an organic interposer). Forexample, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 7, the photonicintegrated circuit 720 is coupled to the electronic integrated circuit730 through interposer 710. Photonic integrated circuit 720 may include,for example, the photonic processor of FIG. 3A. Similarly, electronicintegrated circuit 730 may include, for example, the electroniccontroller of FIG. 3A.

Interposer 710 provides electrical connections between the photonicintegrated circuit 720 and electronic integrated circuit 730 throughconductive traces 740. In some embodiments, the photonic integratedcircuit electrically connects to the interposer through pins such ascopper pillars 750. In other embodiments, the interposer mayelectrically connect to the top surface of the photonic integratedcircuit through pins such as conductive pads disposed at or near a topsurface of the photonic integrated circuit. In yet other embodiments,the photonic integrated circuit may be electrically connected to theinterposer using other packaging techniques or a combination ofpackaging techniques, as the technology described herein is not limitedin this respect.

In some embodiments, the coupling between the photonic integratedcircuit and the electronic integrated circuit includes wire bonds andconductive pads. For example, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 8A,the photonic integrated circuit is electrically coupled to theelectronic integrated circuit through wire bonds 750. As furtherillustrated in FIG. 8B, wire bonds 750 electrically couple electronicintegrated circuit 730 to photonic integrated circuit 720. The wirebonds 750 bond to input pins 371, 372, and 373 where the input pinsinclude conductive pads located at or near the top surface 722 of thephotonic integrated circuit. The conductive pads couple input electricalsignals received from wire bonds 750 into conductive traces 361, 362,and 363 respectively. In the illustrated embodiment, conductive pads371, 372, and 373 are located along one side of the perimeter 726. Theelectrically-controllable photonic components (not shown) coupleconductive traces 361, 362, and 363 to output pins (not shown).

In some embodiments, electrical coupling may include pins on both thetop and bottom surfaces of the photonic integrated circuit. For example,input pins may include conductive pads on the top surface 722 of thephotonic integrated circuit for receiving signals from electronicintegrated circuit drivers through wire bonds 750. The output pins mayinclude a pin grid array on the bottom surface 724 of the photonicintegrated circuit for coupling to electronic integrated circuitswitches through substrate 710. Additionally, or alternatively, both thetop surface 722 and the bottom surface 724 may include both input pinsand output pins and may utilize any form of packaging as describedherein for coupling to electronic integrated circuit 730.

In some embodiments conductive pads may be located along multiple sidesof the perimeter. In some embodiments, conductive pads corresponding toinput pins are located on a different side of the perimeter thanconductive pads corresponding to output pins. Additionally, oralternatively, conductive pads corresponding to input pins andconductive pads corresponding to output pins are located on the samesides of the perimeter. In other embodiments, some or all conductivepads may be located away from the perimeter, in more centralizedportions of the photonic integrated circuit.

In some embodiments, the photonic integrated circuit and the electronicintegrated circuit may be vertically stacked. For example, in theillustrated embodiment of FIG. 9, the photonic integrated circuit 720 isdisposed on top of the electronic circuit 730. Pins 750 of photonicintegrated circuit 720 may electrically couple to vias on the electronicintegrated circuit 730. In some embodiments, vias may include throughsilicon vias. In other embodiments, vias may include through oxide vias.In yet other embodiments, blind vias and/or other packaging techniquesmay be used.

In other embodiments, the electronic integrated circuit may be disposedabove or below of the photonic circuit. For example, the electronicintegrated circuit drivers may be electrically coupled to input pins onthe top surface of the integrated photonic circuit, while switches maycouple to output pins on the bottom surface of the integrated photoniccircuit. In some embodiments, the input pins on the top surface areconductive pads and the output pins on the bottom surface are a ballgrid array. In other embodiments, the input pins and the output pins mayeach include any of the packaging techniques described herein.

In some embodiments, the photonic integrated circuit includes pinsextending from the side of the integrated circuit for receivingelectrical signals. For example, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG.10, photonic integrated circuit 720 includes input pins 750, extendingfrom the side of the integrated circuit, coupled to substrate 710. Theinput pins may be coupled to substrate 710 through conductive pads orother packaging techniques as described herein.

In some embodiments, photonic integrated circuit input pins and outputpins may extend from the same side of the photonic integrated circuit.Additionally, or alternatively, output pins may extend from a differentside of a photonic integrated circuit.

In some embodiments, each input pin may have the same number ofelectrically-controllable photonic components coupled to it. In otherembodiments, a first input pin may be coupled to a different number ofelectrically-controllable photonic components than a second input pin.In some embodiments, some output pins may not be coupled, throughelectrically-controllable photonic components, to every input pin.

Embodiments of the photonic processing system may be manufactured usingconventional semiconductor manufacturing techniques. For example,waveguides and phase shifters may be formed in a substrate usingconventional deposition, masking, etching, and doping techniques.

V. Conclusion

Having thus described several aspects and embodiments of the technologyof this application, it is to be appreciated that various alterations,modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those of ordinaryskill in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements areintended to be within the spirit and scope of the technology describedin the application. It is, therefore, to be understood that theforegoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that,within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto,inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specificallydescribed. In addition, any combination of two or more features,systems, articles, materials, and/or methods described herein, if suchfeatures, systems, articles, materials, and/or methods are not mutuallyinconsistent, is included within the scope of the present disclosure.

Also, as described, some aspects may be embodied as one or more methods.The acts performed as part of the method may be ordered in any suitableway. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts areperformed in an order different than illustrated, which may includeperforming some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequentialacts in illustrative embodiments.

All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood tocontrol over dictionary definitions, definitions in documentsincorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the definedterms.

The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in thespecification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to thecontrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.”

The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in theclaims, should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements soconjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some casesand disjunctively present in other cases.

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “atleast one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should beunderstood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more ofthe elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including atleast one of each and every element specifically listed within the listof elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the listof elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally bepresent other than the elements specifically identified within the listof elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether relatedor unrelated to those elements specifically identified.

The terms “approximately” and “about” may be used to mean within ±20% ofa target value in some embodiments, within ±10% of a target value insome embodiments, within ±5% of a target value in some embodiments, andyet within ±2% of a target value in some embodiments. The terms“approximately” and “about” may include the target value.

What is claimed is:
 1. A photonic processing system, comprising: aphotonic integrated circuit comprising: a firstelectrically-controllable photonic component electrically coupling aninput pin to a first output pin; and a second electrically-controllablephotonic component electrically coupling the input pin to a secondoutput pin.
 2. The photonic processing system of claim 1, furthercomprising an electronic integrated circuit comprising: a driverelectrically coupled to the input pin; a first switch electricallycoupled to the first output pin; and a second switch electricallycoupled to the second output pin.
 3. The photonic processing system ofclaim 2, wherein the driver comprises a digital-to-analog converter(DAC).
 4. The photonic processing system of claim 2, wherein the firstswitch and the second switch are electrically coupled to a commonreference voltage terminal.
 5. The photonic processing system of claim4, wherein the reference voltage terminal is further coupled to thedriver.
 6. The photonic processing system of claim 2, wherein theelectronic integrated circuit and the photonic integrated circuit arevertically stacked.
 7. The photonic processing system of claim 2,wherein the electronic integrated circuit and the photonic integratedcircuit are disposed on a common substrate.
 8. The photonic processingsystem of claim 2, wherein the electronic integrated circuit and thephotonic integrated circuit are disposed on an interposer.
 9. Thephotonic processing system of claim 1, wherein the input pin is a firstinput pin and wherein the photonic integrated circuit further comprisesa plurality of input pins and a plurality of output pins, wherein theplurality of output pins comprises the first output pin and the secondoutput pin and the plurality of input pins comprises the first inputpin.
 10. The photonic processing system of claim 9, wherein the photonicintegrated circuit further comprises a third electrically-controllablephotonic component electrically coupling a second input pin of theplurality of input pins to the first output pin.
 11. The photonicprocessing system of claim 10, wherein the photonic integrated circuitfurther comprises a fourth electrically-controllable photonic componentelectrically coupling the second input pin to the second output pin. 12.The photonic processing system of claim 9, wherein the plurality ofinput pins comprises between 8 and 1024 input pins, and wherein theplurality of output pins comprises between 8 and 1024 output pins. 13.The photonic processing system of claim 9, wherein the photonicintegrated circuit comprises between 64 and 140,000 photonic components14. The photonic processing system of claim 1, wherein the firstelectrically-controllable photonic component comprises an opticalmodulator.
 15. The photonic processing system of claim 14, wherein theoptical modulator comprises a Mach-Zehnder interferometer.
 16. Thephotonic processing system of claim 14, wherein the optical modulatorcomprises a ring modulator.
 17. A photonic processing system,comprising: a photonic integrated circuit comprising: a first input pinand a first output pin; and a first electrically-controllable photoniccomponent electrically coupling the first input pin to the first outputpin; and an electronic integrated circuit comprising: a first driverelectrically coupled to the first input pin; and a first switchelectrically coupled to the first output pin.
 18. The photonicprocessing system of claim 17, wherein the photonic integrated circuitfurther comprises a second output pin and a secondelectrically-controllable photonic component electrically coupling thefirst input pin to the second output pin, and wherein the electronicintegrated circuit further comprises a second switch electricallycoupled to the second output pin.
 19. The photonic processing system ofclaim 18, wherein the photonic integrated circuit further comprises asecond input pin and a third electrically-controllable photoniccomponent electrically coupling the second input pin to the first outputpin, and wherein the electronic integrated circuit further comprises asecond driver electrically coupled to the second input pin.
 20. Thephotonic processing system of claim 19, wherein the photonic integratedcircuit further comprises a fourth electrically-controllable photoniccomponent electrically coupling the second input pin to the secondoutput pin.
 21. The photonic processing system of claim 17, wherein thefirst driver comprises a digital-to-analog converter (DAC).
 22. Thephotonic processing system of claim 17, wherein the photonic integratedcircuit comprises a silicon photonics integrated circuit.
 23. Thephotonic processing system of claim 17, wherein the photonic integratedcircuit comprises between 8 and 1024 input pins, and between 8 and 1024output pins.
 24. The photonic processing system of claim 17, wherein thephotonic integrated circuit comprises between 64 and 140,000 photoniccomponents.
 25. The photonic processing system of claim 17, wherein thefirst electrically-controllable photonic component comprises an opticalmodulator.
 26. The photonic processing system of claim 17, wherein theelectronic integrated circuit and the photonic integrated circuit arevertically stacked.
 27. The photonic processing system of claim 17,wherein the electronic integrated circuit and the photonic integratedcircuit are disposed on a common substrate.
 28. The photonic processingsystem of claim 17, wherein the electronic integrated circuit and thephotonic integrated circuit are disposed on an interposer.
 29. A methodfor operating a photonic processing system comprising a photonicintegrated circuit and an electronic integrated circuit, the methodcomprising: modulating a first optical signal using a firstelectrically-controllable photonic component disposed on the photonicintegrated circuit, the first electrically-controllable photoniccomponent being coupled to both a first input pin of the photonicintegrated circuit and a first output pin of the photonic integratedcircuit, wherein the modulating comprises: forming a first electricallyconductive path between the first output pin of the photonic integratedcircuit and a reference voltage terminal by closing a first switchdisposed on the electronic integrated circuit; and producing a firstanalog signal using a first driver disposed on the electronic integratedcircuit and coupling the first analog signal to the first input pin ofthe photonic integrated circuit.
 30. The method of claim 29, furthercomprising: modulating a second optical signal using a secondelectrically-controllable photonic component disposed on the photonicintegrated circuit, the second electrically-controllable photoniccomponent being coupled to both the first input pin of the photonicintegrated circuit and a second output pin of the photonic integratedcircuit, wherein the modulating comprises: subsequent to closing thefirst switch and further subsequent to re-opening the first switch,forming a second electrically conductive path between the second outputpin of the photonic integrated circuit and the reference voltageterminal by closing a second switch disposed on the electronicintegrated circuit; and producing a second analog signal using the firstdriver and coupling the second analog signal to the first input pin ofthe photonic integrated circuit.
 31. The method of claim 30, furthercomprising: modulating a third optical signal using a thirdelectrically-controllable photonic component disposed on the photonicintegrated circuit, the third electrically-controllable photoniccomponent being coupled to both a second input pin of the photonicintegrated circuit and the first output pin of the photonic integratedcircuit, wherein the modulating comprises: subsequent to closing thefirst switch and further subsequent to re-opening the first switch,re-forming the first electrically conductive path between the firstoutput pin of the photonic integrated circuit and the reference voltageterminal by closing the first switch; and producing a third analogsignal using a second driver disposed on the electronic integratedcircuit and coupling the third analog signal to the second input pin ofthe photonic integrated circuit.